Hand nutcracker



Dec. 4, 1962 B. WILCOX HAND NUTCRACKER Filed Oct. 14, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Bradford Wilcox 1 N VE N TOR can W 3M2 B. WILCOX HANDNUTCRACKER Dec. 4, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14. 1959 m at IN VENTOR.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,%t'i,'ii3 Patented Dec. 4, 11962 3,066,713HAND NUTCRACKER Bradford Wilcox, McMinnviile, Greg. (Box 372, tiherwood,Greg.) Filed (let. 1d, 1959, Ser. No. 846,434 3 Claims. (-Cl. 14616)This invention relates to nutcrackers, and the application is acontinuation-in-part of U8. Serial No. 797,814, now abandoned. A claimis hereby made for the benefit f the earlier filing date as to allsubject matter common to this application and the above referencedpreviously filed application.

An object of the invention is to provide a nutcracker constructed andarranged to function more smoothly, surely and satisfactorily than priornutcrackers.

Briefly, a nutcracker in accordance with the invention is made of a pairof arms that are pivotally connected together by means of a pivotcarried by a post that is fixed to one of the arms intermediate itsends. construction locates the two arms in planes that are spaced apart.

One of the arms has a stationary jaw formed of a pocket structure, andthe other arm has a movable jaw pivoted to the second of the arms. Thesecond jaw is formed with a pocket which opens toward the firstmentioned pocket, and there is a return spring connected be tween thesecond arm and the second jaw.

With the above described structure, the second jaw is arranged to movein practically a rectilinear path of travel in response to squeezing ofthe handles of the arms so that the second jaw advances toward the nutcontained in the pocket of the first jaw, and exerts a crushing actionon the shell thereof. After the shell is cracked, the arms are releasedi.e. returned to the jaw open position during which movement the movablejaw is automatically returned to the original position by the action ofthe spring.

Accordingly, it is a further object of the invention to provide anutcracker which is of the hand operated type and wherein one jaw isadapted to move essentially rectilinearly in response to a pivotalmotion between pivoted arms.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a nutcracker exemplifying theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the nutcracker in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing the nutcracker in the openposition and viewing the nutcracker from the side thereof opposite tothat from which FIG- URE 1 views the nutcracker.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the inner end of oneof the arms.

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of all of the parts of thenutcracker.

FIGURE 7 is a front elevational view of the movable jaw of thenutcracker.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a nutcracker lltlwhich diagrammatically represents one embodiment of the invention. Thenutcracker is made of a first arm or lever 12 together with a second armor lever 14. The outer ends 16 and 18 of the arms constitute handgrips,and they are adapted to be grasped in the hand of the user and squeezedtogether to perform the nutcrack- This ing operation. Arm 12 has anangular offset 20 intermediate the ends thereof, and there is a post 22fixed, for instance by being welded, brazed, etc., to arm 12intermediate the ends thereof and at approximately the offset 2ithereof. The post 22 is preferably made of a fiat plate, and it has alaterally projecting ear 24 intermediate the upper and lower endsthereof and at one edge, and this functions as a stop limiting theextent of pivotal movement of arms 12 and 14.

The inner end of arm 12 has a jaw 26 fixed thereto. The jaw has anapproximately semi-cylindrical side wall 28 and a bottom wall 36. Thejaw 26 opens toward post 22, and it is immovable with respect to the arm12. The second jaw 32 includes a pair of parallel links which connect itto an inner end of mm id and is cooperable with jaw 26 to perform thenutcracking operation on a typical nut 34 located between the jaws ofthe nutcracker. Jaw 3'2 is formed with a transverse member 36 that isessentially V-shaped in cross-section (FiGURE 6) thereby forming aforwardly opening pocket which opens toward or confronts the pocket ofjaw 26. A number of serrations 40 are in the front face of jaw 32 toenhance the frictional grip of jaw 32 with nut 3 A pair of parallelplates 2 and M- are fixed to the rear face of jaw 32 and they haveapertures 46 therein by which to receive pivot 8. The pivot may be inthe form of a pin, bolt or the like and it also extends through anaperture Si} in the inner end of arm 14. When the bolt is used for thepivot, a nut 52. will be used on the bolt to hold it in place. Plates4.2 and 44 straddle a laterally extending plate 54- which is offset fromthe fiat end part 56 of arm 14, and aperture 51) is in this plate. Pivot5%, for instance, a pin, bolt, etc. extends through aperture as near theouter end of post 22, and there is a nut 62 on the end of the bolt 58when the bolt is used as the pivot. The bolt is also extended throughaperture 64 in flat end portion $5 of arm 14, and this pivotallyconnects arms 12 and 14 together but at a place or location spacedconsiderably from arm 12 and generally or approximately coincident withthe longitudinal axis of arm I i. As seen in FIGURE 1, the pivot 43 islocated between pivot St? and arm 12, this location being made possibleby the existence of plate 54. The plate 54 is off at slightly (FIGURE 6)to provide clearance for plate 42 between the plate 54 and post 22. Inview of the arrangement described above, when arms I2 and I l arepivotally actuated, the jaw 32 is caused to move in almost a rectilinearpath of travel toward and away from the jaw 26. As the jaw '32 is movedtoward the nut in pocket 25, the grooves as grip the surface of the nut,thereby preventing the jaw 32. from moving vertically as the nut iscracked. As the nut gradually compresses, the jaw 32 moves insubstantially a rectilinear or horizontal path since spring 7% permitsplate 54 and jaw 32. to rotate relative to each other about bolt dd.

Return spring 74} is connected at one end in an aperture in ear 72 thatprotrudes laterally from the fiat end 56 of arm 14. The spring is alsoconnected to jaw 32 at a place laterally offset from pivot 48, by beingengaged in an aperture 74. in jaw 32. The function of the spring is toreturn the jaw 32 to its original position whereby it abuts thehorizontal flange connecting plates 54 and 56 after the nutcrackingoperation has been completed and thereby maintain jaw 72 substantiallyparallel to the central portion of plate 28. Stop 24 functions as suchby being contacted by the rear edge of one of the plates of jaw 32 whenthe nutcracker is in the full open position and by being contacted bythe lower edge '73 of arm 14 adjacent to the flat end part 56 thereof.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those CD skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A nutcracker comprising a first arm having a handgrip at the outerend, a second arm having a hand-grip at the outer end, a post fixed toand extending from said first arm between the ends thereof, a pivotconnecting said second arm at its inner end to said post therebypivotally connecting said arms, a first jaw on the inner end of saidfirst arm, a second jaw cooperable with said first jaw, a part of saidsecond arm at the inner end thereof extending toward said first arm, andmeans movably connecting said second jaw directly to said part of saidsecond arm, said movably connecting means comprising a pivot, and aspring attached to and extending between said second jaw and said secondarm for yieldingly opposing the pivotal movement of said jaw in onedirection about said pivot, said connecting means and spring comprisingthe sole means for connecting said second jaw to the other nutcrackerstructure.

2. A nutcracker comprising first and second elongated levers arranged inspaced relationship, a post fixed at one end to a central portion ofsaid first lever and projecting toward said second lever, said first andsecond levers each including generally straight elongated hand grips atone end arranged in generally parallel relationship, a jaw support arm,the other end of said second lever being integrally connected to one endof said jaw support arm,

said arm overlapping said post and extending toward said first lever,first pivot means pivotally securing the other end of said second leverand the one end of said arm to the other end of said post, a linkadjacent the other end of said first lever and extending generallyparallel thereto, second pivot means pivotally connecting one end ofsaid link to the other end of said arm, the other end of said linkconnected to a first jaw having a nut engaged surface extendinggenerally perpendicular to the other end of said first lever, a stop onsaid a-rm, spring means connected between said first jaw and secondlever urging said link away from said first lever and against said stop,a second jaw on the other end of said first lever having a nut engagingsurface generally parallel to and opposing said first surface, saidspring means and second pivot means comprising the only means connectingsaid first jaw and said link to the other nutcracker structure wherebysaid surfaces may remain generally parallel to one another when saidhand grips are forced together to crack a nut between said surfaces.

3. A nutcracker as defined in claim 2 wherein the surface of said secondjaw is of semi-cylindrical shape.

Reterences titted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS483,334 Wheeler Sept. 27, 1892 484,049 Robertson Oct. 11, 1892 805,651Lang Nov. 28, 1905 11,087,617 Traber Feb. 17, 1914 1,205,276 Sharpe eta1 Nov. 21, 1916 IF-"'5'! m

